Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/1260764
Tom: What stands out as the most challenging creative design issue you faced? Barry: For me it was designing scenery limited to 10-feet wide x 40 to 60-feet long. We had to cram a lot of variation into very tight spaces. And the studio wanted as much variation as possible and kept pushing for it at the weekly meetings. Retaining this ratio was very important. The needed psychological pressure from the confi ned train structure was very critical. Tom: So, when we started some parts of the train were in the process of being built and you changed them to add, as you said, a more robust look. This visual language continued throughout the train in select areas that were strictly serving a functional purpose. Barry: Yes, well, I had to develop a design strategy for the train as a whole, it is one thousand cars long! There had to be a way for the audience to understand at a glance where they were on the train because it was not always scripted. The exact layout of the train was a developing story: from the writer's mind through our design process and ultimately, as built sets that could serve multiple purposes. Much of that was carried out by the graphic design team's work on proper train signage, with design changes for each class and or car type we were in. Tom: I think the challenge of melding and changing the existing built train sections while designing a ,-car train was amplifi ed by having to jump into designing the exterior of the train right away as well, no? Barry: I knew that the exterior would need to have the visual strength to look like it could push through the elements of a frozen world where the temperature outside the train was -119 degrees. I quickly realized of course, that the exterior will drive the logic of the interiors. I decided to tier the train from the engine at the front at four stories or there about. Then fi rst class would be three stories, second class two and third class, a single story along with the tail, formerly the luggage compartments. In addition, there is a below fl oors sub-train transport and mechanical corridor with a simple transport pod running on a track. The sub-train was part of the original scripted environment and is crucial to the plot. Tom: So starting from the back of the train at the tail cars and moving forward tell me what changes you made to the existing car designs. B C A. TRAIN CAR LAYOUT- BACK. B. TAIL CAR. SET PHOTO. C. BIG ALICE OPEN VAULT DOOR TO SNOWPIERCER. SET PHOTO. D. UTILITY BATTERY CAR. SET PHOTO. E. THIRD-CLASS MARKET. CONCEPT ART BY GERHARD MOZSI. F. THE CHAINS. CONCEPT ART BY GERHARD MOZSI. G. & H. THE CHAINS. SET PHOTOS. A D